Government use of AI is on the rise, according to the latest quick scan conducted by TNO on behalf of our Public Services Working Group. This quick scan, a follow-up to the 2019 and 2021 studies, provides a detailed overview of current AI applications within the public sector.
The exploratory study shows that, based on desk research, 266 AI applications in public services have been identified, representing an increase of 61.21% over 2021 and 254% over 2019. A large proportion of these applications were found in municipalities (105), while 46 applications were developed collaboratively. The main application areas are knowledge processing, archiving & anonymization (60), and inspection & enforcement (47).
In terms of AI techniques used, image recognition (80) as well as speech & text recognition and NLP (70) dominate. Of the 266 applications, 102 have been implemented and 95 are still in the experimental phase. The main domains in which AI is deployed are organization & operations (70), transportation & mobility (53) and public order & security (42).
Compared to previous studies, the number of applications has increased substantially, despite a stricter definition of AI. Moreover, for the first time, there is a higher percentage of implemented applications (38%) than experiments (35%), indicating further maturity of AI applications within the public sector.
The advent of the algorithm registry and better discoverability of AI examples will provide more transparency on the use of AI in public services by 2024. Want to know more about the results of the TNO and NL AIC research? The report "Quickscan AI in Public Services III" can be found here.
